Huvudnavigering

Hovdala Castle

Castle in the borderlands

Hovdala Castle dates back to the Middle Ages and is one of Skåne's most interesting tourist destinations. This is a peaceful rural area now but it has not always been so. The castle is in the middle of countryside that saw plenty of cross-border action; its borderland location meant that Hovdala played an important role in the war between Sweden and Denmark in the seventeenth century. The gatehouse tower clearly displays traces of fighting. The castle park was first mentioned in 1130, but it gained its current position in the sixteenth century. At that time there was a moat round the structure that still surrounds the castle area, although these days it is dry.

The castle and the entire area were closed to the general public for many years when Hovdala was a military training ground. The castle was re-opened in July 1998 after a comprehensive renovation. Efforts have been made to give the castle the rural empire feel it had in its glory days in the early nineteenth century.

Nowadays there is often a market in the castle park. There are midsummer events and harvest festivals. The castle's kitchen garden supplies the popular restaurant with organic ingredients.